Secrets
by not-exactly-the-truth
Summary: Dirk's face paled, his smile fading from his face. He had prayed, wished, and hoped that this day would never come. The day the Core would come for him. Secret Agents-AU
1. Prologue

Sunlight traveled in through the open window, giving the various scattered robot parts a dull glow. Light fell on Dirk's sleeping eyes, making him blink. He lazily rolled over to the side of the bed, squinting at the digital alarm clock on his dresser. 9:45 AM.

"Oh _shit_!" Dirk sprang out of bed and ran to the bathroom, with just his boxers. Ten minutes later he came out shaved and fully dressed, his shades in his hand as he tried to slip on his shoes. He raced down the stairs, taking two at a time, and nearly tackled Jake down when he reached the kitchen.

"Whoa, hey! I made breakfast," Jake greeted with a smile. He barely had time to turn around when Dirk was already out the door, a piece of toast in one hand and his keys in the other.

"Sorry! I'm late for work!"

"On a Saturday?" Dirk stopped mid-step. He slowly turned and found Jake with a hand over his mouth, trying to contain his laughter. Dirk shut the door behind him, tossed his keys on the counter, and kicked off his shoes. He swallowed the toast he had in one bite. Dirk took off his shirt and pants and threw them in the general direction of the couch.

"It's a bit early for _that_, don't you think?" Jake eyed Dirk in his smuppet boxers, a playful grin gracing his lips. Dirk, ignoring the suggestive comment, began to make his way back upstairs.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to bed," Dirk called over his shoulder. He kicked the door to his bedroom open, placed his shades next to his clock, and flopped into bed. After a while he felt Jake slide in next to him.

"Are we just gonna lie here all day?" Jake wondered out loud while staring at the ceiling.

"Enjoy it. Could be worse, y'know..." A few minutes later Jake could hear Dirk's soft snoring and smiled._ Well it can't get any better_, Jake thought.


	2. Found

Dirk laughed alongside Jake as they walked home from the cinema. Jake smiled. He loved moments like these, when he and Dirk would just have a great time being together, being a normal couple and stuff. They turned the corner onto their street and were confronted by two guys dressed completely in white. Dirk's face paled, his smile fading from his face. He spun around and found two more guys in white, grinning and cracking their knuckles, blocking their way. Dirk had prayed, wished, and hoped this day would never come. The day the Core would come looking for him.

"Looks like you've got a date with destiny, Sharp. Time to come home," one of the guys said. Jake turned to Dirk with a look of complete bafflement. Dirk pulled Jake back but the two were surrounded.

"Jake, listen. I need you to run, run home and call Roxy. Tell her it's over, that I said it's over, she'll know what that means." Jake had absolutely no idea what was going on. He was scared, but there was no way on earth he was going to leave Dirk with these thugs.

"No way, Dirk! I'm staying right here beside you! Who are these goons, anyways? Why do they keep calling you 'Sharp'?" Jake stood his ground and Dirk panicked. Of all days to be stubborn, he picked _today_. Dirk assessed their situation. There were four of the empress's highly trained minions surrounding them in a semi-deserted suburban street. Their odds weren't looking to good. Dirk had to get Jake out of there, he couldn't risk putting him in danger.

"Jake," Dirk whispered. "On three, I'll attack, distracting them, and you run, do what I say, okay? One... two... thr─" So much for the plan. Jake had already taken down one of the guys and was pounding on the second. For being a pacifist down-to-earth guy, he really could kick ass. Dirk was hopeful that they would be able to make it out of this mess. That hope vanished when he saw the white van arrive with more of the empress's men. Just dealing with these idiots had made Dirk tired, he knew he couldn't put up much of a fight any longer; Jake wasn't in a much better state. Jake turned to Dirk when he saw the van. He saw the defeated look in his eyes and knew it was over.

"Run, Jake, and call RoLal, please, let me deal with these guys. Please." The panic and desperation in Dirk's voice made Jake want to protect him with his life. He was about to argue that they should both try to escape when one of the empress's men came up from behind and landed a swift blow to the back of his head, knocking him out.

"JAKE!" Dirk ran forward but an enormous arm wrapped around his waist, hoisting him up, and a hand the size of a baseball mitt covered his mouth. Dirk bit into the hand as hard as he could, causing the guy holding him to scream and drop him. Dirk rolled away and stood to face a giant hammer millimeters away from his nose. John, the empress's new second-in-command, stood before Dirk, wearing an ocean blue suit and a malicious smile on his face.

"Thought you could get away from us, did you, Sharp? My mistress doesn't allow those kind of decisions to be made by anyone but herself. You were one of her best, and she wasn't just gonna let you go. How you've managed to stay hidden from us for _this_ long even my mistress cannot understand, but now it's about high time you came home." Dirk flinched. He hated how they said _home_, as if the Core was anything like that. John signaled one of the men to arrest Dirk; that's when he noticed Jake lying unconscious on the floor.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Jake English, also known as Quickshot, and my mistress's former second-in-command. I was a little confused when she told me that I'd be bringing back two Core agents, but now I see what she meant. Like killing two birds with one stone, if you will," John sneered. "Bring 'em both in, General." Dirk's eyes widened. He knew the empress had replaced him since his departure, but he never thought she would dispatch the new general for a mission like this.

"General?" A tall, muscular man with military-style black hair and menacing gray eyes turned to Dirk with a wolfish grin. He had a ragged white scar running from the top of his left temple, across his eye, to the corner of his lips; it contrasted sharply with his dark skin. The empress's new general tied up Jake and tossed him into the back of the van. He placed shackles on Dirk's hands and feet and led him to the van. Dirk realized nobody had bothered to knock him out. Why should they? He knew exactly where headquarters was. He had, after all, been one of them. Dirk climbed into the van and saw a figure hidden slightly by shadows. There was someone else there, aside from Jake, wearing a red suit and signature aviator shades.


End file.
